Ricciardo sees good signs at AlphaTauri: 'Can't ask for much more'

Ricciardo missed the Grands Prix of Holland, Italy, Singapore, Japan and Qatar and was back in the AT04 for the first time in Austin. His best season result is a seventh-place finish in the Mexican GP, also the only time he finished in the points.

Is the Perth-based man the only driver whose season could have gone on a bit longer? "Normally at this point of the year, I'm so over it, and all I can think about is going home to Australia, but look, obviously we don't race anymore. That’s fine. I think I'll just use this extra kind of energy that I have and obviously, the others don't have to start my pre-season early and just to get a little bit of a head start on everyone and come out swinging next year"

Progression at AlphaTauri

For AlphaTauri, the hope is for a better start to the season than was the case this year. The Faenza-based racing team got off to a very difficult start, collecting just three points in the first half of the season. In the end, the formation still came close to finishing seventh in the constructors' championship on 25 points.

After the summer break, great strides have been made. "There's definitely some things we found in the car as the season went on and obviously we brought an update here. I think it was positive, so I feel like we're going in the right direction. Everything I've fed back to the team, I feel like they've actioned or done their best to make it happen or make it work."

He continued: "I honestly can't ask for too much more at the moment. Now it’s just how quickly we can get new parts on the car and this and that. Their heads are in the right place. I think that's really important moving forward, and they're motivated. I feel like this is not a junior team anymore, and I think with many plans for next year. Hopefully, we can prove that on track and get more points like this."